Police said Lan, a team leader at the factory, had persuaded several other workers to steal finished shoes, while Dieu and Thinh carried them out of the factory.

A combined photo of three members of a gang allegedly stealing Nike products at some garment plants making Nike clothes in Vietnam. Photo: Ngoc Le.

The gang also operated at garment plants making Nike clothes across the country -- Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Hanoi, Hai Phong -- stealing hundreds of pieces every day, investigators said.

The police said the shoe parts and clothing were usually hidden around their middle by women workers so that security guards did not spot them. They were then hidden beneath trucks carrying materials and transported out of the plant.

The police said they are investigating, looking for more possible accomplices.